2nd October 2026 – (Tel Aviv) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the co‑pilot accused of attacking his captain on a flydubai flight bound for Israel had undergone radical indoctrination and was clearly suicidal, adding that Israel would assist an investigation led by the United Arab Emirates. The drama unfolded a day earlier when passengers and crew intervened after the co‑pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and tried to crash the aircraft, forcing an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said the suspect, identified by Israeli officials as an Omani national, had been transferred to the UAE for questioning as part of a criminal probe that includes the possibility of terrorist intent. Netanyahu said Israel would examine how the first officer was cleared to work a flight to the country and pledged tighter screening.
Passengers described a sudden plunge before the cockpit was secured and the jet diverted, with flight‑tracking data indicating the aircraft lost around 17,000 feet of altitude in roughly a minute during the struggle. Netanyahu publicly praised the injured captain, Indian national Smit Machchhar, and credited off‑duty airline staff and travellers with helping to subdue the assailant and stabilise the situation until the plane could land. Officials in the UAE said all passengers were safe, while Israel’s leadership characterised the incident as an attempted terrorist attack, noting that final conclusions would depend on the outcome of the multinational inquiry now under way.
